


Dime-ond in the Rough

by Toadcakes



Category: Super Paper Mario (Game)
Genre: Abuse, Brainwashing, Character Death, Child Death, Fantasy, How Do I Tag, Magic, Mind Manipulation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pain, Pre-Canon, Unethical Experimentation, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-08-29 04:42:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16737298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toadcakes/pseuds/Toadcakes
Summary: Before the events of Super Paper Mario. How did Dimentio end up with Count Bleck? What motivated him to join up with the Count in the first place? Further back, how did he come to be the way he is through the course of the game? Trailing further and further back in time, before Bleck and the pull of control over the universe, a pair of twins are born to a peasant family in the outskirts of a lavish nation.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work on Ao3 and I'm excited to share it! I've been working with this concept for some time now and at the very least this will be a first draft of sorts. For the most part, I want to put together something that explains Dimentio within the game but this fic won't really get close to other characters within the game itself. It starts out with him as a child and picks up from there. Hopefully the world I've put together makes sense. If you see any errors please let me know so I can fix them. I hope you enjoy!

Everyone has at least some magic. It’s the lifeblood that pumps through every being within this dimension, keeping people alive and supporting them throughout their lives. The amount of magic each person has access to varies greatly, and with it, so do their lifespans. Kings with more magical potential live for milenia while peasants may only have one or two centuries ahead of them. Over time, people have learned the art of seeing the potential of each individual and judging from there how long they will live.

This is the story of a boy who only wanted a normal life and got anything but.

* * *

When he was young, he remembers being carefree. Playing outside in the mud while his father worked in the sun. Kneading dough with his mother in the kitchen and sprinkling flour across the countertops. Sitting on the wooden floors with his brother, playing with toys their uncle had carved for them. His life was simple.

But sometimes he wondered why his brother couldn’t go outside in the mud with him. Or why he stayed in his bed some days, coughing and hacking. Why sometimes, he heard his mother crying when he was supposed to be asleep. And why, when the harvest season was over, did a man in a white coat visit them. He was always told to play outside when the man was around, but he peeked into the house to see him talking to his crying parents. 

And then his aunt Sherri moved in with them and she didn’t let him help her in the kitchen the way his mom did. Tio was in bed more often than not those days, and their mother sat nearby, as the smaller boy slept. She would run her fingers through his hair and hold him as he coughed and when he was awake she would read softly to him. Dime always wanted to hear the stories too, so he listened in, asking her to teach him to read when Tio was asleep. 

It was strange, to read to his brother whose eyes were glassy and didn’t quite focus on anything particular. The smaller boy wouldn’t look at the pictures on the book’s pages and half the time it didn't seem like he was hearing Dime’s words at all. 

Dime was sent with his father to the market one day as their fifth birthday neared. They were to sell the recent harvest and get enough gold to pay for something Dime wasn’t told about. But his father seemed serious, so he followed along quietly, watching his father bargain with the people in the market. He raised his voice and argued until he finally nodded, taking a handful of coins and turning to lead the way back to their home.

A few days later, on their fifth birthday, a different person came to their home to see Tio. Between this new person and the man in the white coat, this one felt stronger somehow, but they didn’t scare Dime. It felt like they were there for a purpose, wearing robes with a hood that covered their face and a golden crest. 

“The boy is of age?” they asked, their voice barely above a whisper.

“They’ll both be in just an hour or so. Now please, he’s not getting any better.” his father said and Dime was sure he was talking about Tio’s sickness.

“Of course. Leave him to me. I’ll see what can be done.” And with that the person swept their way into his and Tio’s room, closing the door behind themself. 

“What’s happening?” Dime asked quietly, tugging on his mother’s skirt.

“They’re going to make Tio better, Dime. He’ll be able to play with you again.” She said though there were tears dripping down her cheeks and splashing down on the floor which confused him.

The adults moved to sit at the table. His aunt put the kettle over the fire and they were all silent. Time moved slowly, the atmosphere thick like syrup. The adults weren’t willing to tell him anything more about what was happening, sitting silently and sipping quietly at their tea.

Dime fiddled with the hem of his shirt, huffing and looking towards the closed door. And then the door creaked open and the hooded figure walked out.

“The payment will be great. To preserve the boy’s life I have transferred some of my lifeforce to him. I require the energy of another along with the agreed upon gold.”

His mother stood and the chair she sat on fell the the ground. “Take mine.” She spoke and before his father could protest, the hooded figure reached out a hand and pulled a glowing orb out of his mother’s chest. Her knees became weak beneath her, though his father was quick to stop her from falling. 

“It is done.” they said. “One of the King’s men has accompanied me to determine their potential, confirming you boy’s strength and ability to live into the adulthood of low tiers.” A woman entered as they finished speaking. She also wore robes, though her hood was down.

The robes themselves were a deep shade of green that contrasted nicely with a similar gold crest, though this one seemed less ornate than the one of the white robed person.

“Ooh, this one sure looks strong. The eldest of the two?” She asked, kneeling down to be level with him.

“Oh, um. No, Tio’s older.” 

“He took the hit for you then, I see. It’s their hour soon, correct?” she looked up at his parents and his father nodded. “Let’s see the eldest then!” she clapped her hands together. The white robed person pointed her towards the boy’s open door and she stepped in to see Tio sat up in his bed, rubbing at his eyes.

“Tio!” Dime exclaimed and the smaller boy smiled at his brother as he jumped up onto the bed and wrapped his arms around his sibling. Dime buried his nose in the crook of Tio’s neck and the older boy patted his back gently. It had been so long since his brother had been able to hug him like this. 

“Oh lovely boys, your hour is nearly here! An excellent day for such lovely children. Maybe you could float objects about or light candles. So very exciting. Now let’s see your hands.”

Their father hurried in and pulled Dime away from Tio. The woman smiled and grabbed both of Tio’s small hands in her own, looking into his eyes, the left a bright piercing yellow and the right deep black. Her smile widened.

“Low tier, of course, but healthy. Hmm…” she pulled a paper from beneath her cloak and glanced over it. “You’ll likely live longer than your mother, your power is just barely below that of your father so…” she scribbled something down quickly. “Yes, maybe a little over a century for you.”

She let go of Tio’s hands and their parents smiled from the doorway. After Tio being so sickly, a century was a blessing in and of itself. Then the woman turned to Dime.

“Let’s see you now, mmmm. Dime was it?” he nodded. “A few more minutes now. If I had to guess, I might give you two centuries. Maybe three since you seem strong. Unlikely as it is with a lineage of low tiers, you may hit the bottom of mid. Interesting little boys, the two of you.” She held his hands tightly, before looking up to meet his eyes. The same yellow of Tio’s eye shone bright in his right, with deep black on the left. 

She held his eyes for a few minutes, nothing happening as her expression remained stagnant. Then everyone in the room gasped gently. The woman dropped his hands like hot coals and averted her eyes as quickly as possibly. 

“What was that?” The white robed one asked, voice firm and raised for the first time since they arrived.

“I-I can’t.” the woman in green stuttered, her hands shaking while Dime looked among everyone else with his head tilted to the side. She stood as quickly as her shaking body would let her and fled the home. 

The white robed person followed her with purpose in contrast to her stumbling steps. Everyone else was frozen still. Continuing to feel the energy coming off of Dime in intermittent waves before slowing to a stop. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! What did you think of this first chapter? Hopefully it was clear that Dime in the story is the person who will become Dimentio, if not please tell me how to make that more clear. This was something of a prologue so things will pick up from here. Updates may be a bit inconsistent, but feel free to talk to me about them. If you have any questions or comments you can find me as Toadcakes on tumblr. Shoot me a message anytime!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is darker than the last one so warning for that. The rest of the story will be darker than that first chapter. Also take notice of the added tags, not all of them are for this chapter specifically but be aware of them. Please tell me if you notice any typos.

“Gelli, what was that?” The white robes person demanded, her eyes didn't come to look at them as they usually did. Her demeanor had changed entirely.

“I-I couldn't- he doesn't… I don't…” her breaths came out in short puffs, and her heart raced in her chest. Her blood felt cold as ice and she shook uncontrollably against the chill.

The white robed person reached out, touching a hand to her shoulder letting their nose graise against her hairline as they whispered calming words and magic seeped through their body and into Gelli’s. She reached out a hand and gripped at their robes tightly, using them to ground herself. In time she stopped shaking and her breaths came more normally as their magic moved through her body.

When her grip loosened, they asked again, “What happened, Gelli?”

She took a deep breath and looked up and met their gaze hesitantly. She grabbed for their hands and they pulled them from beneath the robes to let her connect to him.

“Wh-when I look for a person’s potential, I stand on the edge of a pool.” her voice shook but calmed as her eyes went glassy and she looked into their potential, standing outside and knowing it’s boundaries. “Yours, Lavvet, yours reaches the horizon and I can barely see the bottom. It glitters gold and white and moves about when you use your magic. And the sickly boy’s pool, his was just a few meters long and shallow. It was dim but had sparkles of your gold in it. Looking at the edges and the depth I was taught to judge a person’s lifespan.” Her eyes cleared up and she released Lavvet’s hands, “Th-That- That child, that thing- Dime.” she choked on her words and more healing seeped into the air around the two of them. “I fell into a pool of swirling purples and blues. There was no ground to stand on- for me to find my composure. It splashed around me and pulled me in and I-I couldn’t find a way up.” She hiccuped, tears tracking down her cheeks. “There was no end to it.” Despite the stammering and stuttering, her final statement was sure.

Lavvet was silent for just a moment before nodding. They saw no reason for her to lie and even they had felt the power pulse it’s way through the home. Lavvet folded their hands together and slowly unclasped them, releasing a spectral bird that took flight as soon as it was able.

“I’ve sent a message to the castle. Another evaluator will see the boy and take care of him, you have no reason to worry.” she nodded to them and they led her back to their carriage, asking the driver to bring them back to town.

* * *

 

The pulsing of energy quieted within the farmhouse walls. Everyone stood stock still, surrounding a boy who only looked on at the faces of his family with confusion.

“Who are you?” his father’s whisper echoed in the silent room.

“I’m Dime.” he tilted his head again, furrowing his eyebrows. “And you’re my dad.”

“No.” he whispered and Dime’s mother grabbed him by the shoulder, though her grasp was weak and he surged forward, pushing the small boy to the floor. “You’re not my son. You’re a trick, they must have sent you.”

“Timus, stop. It’s Dime.” his mother protested, scooping the boy into her arms and putting him onto the bed with his brother.

“That- That _thing_ is not Dime. You felt it, Razz. The King’s men must’ve done something to him.” he stepped forward, but she stood in his way.

“Why in the world would they do do something to our boy? Get ahold of yourself.” She hissed, “You watched what happened. This is Dime. This is a miracle.”

Timus huffed but stopped his arguing, stomping his way out of the room as Razz pet Dime’s hair and held him close to her chest.

* * *

 

When before Dime would go with his father to the market and help him how he could in the fields, now Tio would go. Their father would make excuses to keep away from the younger boy. Something about bonding with the older brother who had been stuck in bed so long. But the excuses weren’t for Dime, no his father would barely look him in the eye, let alone speak to him. They were for the boy’s mother and aunt.

The sisters huffed at the excuses, but allowed it to happen. As long as he stopped insisting Dime had changed, they would put up with him and hope he changed his mind. They kept Dime busy when Tio was out to distract him.

Aunt Sherri started teaching him how to use his magic to create small flames outside with a pail of water nearby. She held a candle and summoned heat to her fingertip, touching the small flame to the wick and letting it burn a few seconds before blowing it out. Dime smiled, concentrating on heat and fire. He squeezed his eyes closed to try and imagine the warmth on his skin they way she had taught him.

“Dime!” his eyes shot open to see that flame covered his hand. Only when he looked at his palm did it start to hurt and as he stared on in horror, Aunt Sherri grabbed him by the wrist and dunked his hand into the water. It sizzled and steam floated it’s way into the sky. With the fire extinguished, she pulled his hand back out and winced at the bubbles in his now red skin. “Let’s see what we can do about that.” she mumbled, before hovering her hand above his.

“Wh-what a-are” he hiccuped through tears “What are-are you going to do?”

Sherri hummed. “I’m not sure how to describe it. I'm pulling at the energy from in and around me and… And I’m asking it to fix your hand.” A green energy glowed around her palm and she pressed her hand to Dime’s. The boy winced at first, but some of the blisters unmade themselves and the skin became slightly less tender. “You could try if you’d like.”

He nodded, this time not daring to close his eyes as he tried to channel energy into his unburnt palm. A wave of power, not unlike the one from a few days ago, pulsed off of Dime and pushed Sherri’s hair back. In shock, she watched as he pulled a swirling dark purple energy out of his hand and pressed it to the burnt flesh. She startled when more blisters appeared and the are became angry and red again. She nearly reached out to stop him, but then the burns started fading and disappeared entirely. Almost as though time had rewound around his hand. An incredible achievement in time based magic in such a precise area and timeframe. Something people trained for centuries to master at the fingertips of a boy.

“Look, Aunt Sherri, it’s all better!” The boy smiled and she tried to force her lips to quirk up in response but there was a hearty amount of fear in her veins. Summoning large flames and rewinding time with no formal training. What kind of person would Dime grow to be with that amount of power? She thought of what her sister had said. That the boy was a miracle and she was inclined to agree. He could save lives, create endless food for the poor and starving. Build shelters in seconds, anything. But if he could do anything, he could also raze countries and kill mindlessly and, and, and- She had to make sure he was raised right, even with the power he needed to know the difference between right and wrong.

“That’s great, Dime.” her voice was weak. “Why don’t you go inside and help your mother with the baking? I’m sure she’d love the help.”

The boy nodded and grinned as he ran back into the house, but Sherri remained outside, dazed by the thoughts of destruction that ran through her head.

* * *

 

Just a couple weeks after the boy’s fifth birthday, before the sun had risen, a carriage rolled up in front of their home followed by at least ten knights on horses. One knight dismounted and opened the carriage door for a woman whose robes were a deep, nearly black, shade of green. The gold crest on the robes was intricate with weaving branches in the shape of an eye.

Without removing the hood from in front of her eyes, she walked with precision to the door of the farmhouse. Another knight moved to knock on the door for her and they waited. A low tier man in his nightclothes opened the door a minute later.

“What can I do for ya?” he asked, eyes scanning over the heavy armor on the knights and the crest the woman had on her chest.

“You are Timus, correct?” the woman asked.

“Yes, ma’am.” he said, trying to discreetly straighten his clothes out as he realized how high her rank must be.

“Your younger son, Dime seems to have scared one of mine until she convinced her superior to send a message to the castle. The King has given orders that I personally reevaluate the child.” she spoke simply, and though Timus was confused as to how she knew so much, he nodded.

“Right. Well the boys’re sleepin’ right about now. Could I get y’all some-”

She cut him off. “We won’t be having tea. Wake him.”

Timus was startled but he couldn’t do anything except what she had asked. He turned into the house and called out “Dime!” before letting them inside. He opened the door the the children’s room and found both of them sitting up in their bed, rubbing at their eyes. “C’mon, up, up.” Timus said, pulling the younger boy up by his arm and planting his feet on the ground. He pushed Dime’s back to urge him to take steps forward and the boy complied.

When they entered the main room, Razz was standing in the doorway to her room with her eyes wide at the sight of so many soldiers in her home.

“Timus, what’s happening?” her hands shook as she saw one of her children being pushed along by her husband.

“He’s getting reevaluated.” Timus pushed Dime towards the woman and she hummed.

“I’ve heard some things about you, Dime. I’m here to find out the truth.” her head was pointed down at the boy and from his low angle, he could see that her eyes were milky and white, unseeing but pointed directly at him. Dime nodded and she held out her hands to him. He put his small palms into her larger ones and she was silent a moment before taking in a sharp breath.

“I understand. My subordinate must have been quire afraid, with her methods.” She turned, eyes facing one of the knights. “Take him.”

They moved quickly with ropes and chains in hand. Dime startled at their speed and scrambled away, shaking his head. “W-what?.” he cried out as one of the larger soldiers grabbed his wrist, squeezing tight. He heard a sob come from his mother but she didn’t make any moves to help him.

“Mommy, daddy, what’s happening?” a sleepy voice came from behind him and he turned to see Tio’s scared face.

“Go back to bed, Tio.” their father said, trying to keep Dime out of Tio’s line of sight but the older boy had already seen the younger.

“Don’t hurt him!” he cried out, pushing his way past his father. Timus cried out and tried to grab Tio but he slipped away. Dime struggled to try and reach his brother but the soldier was pulling him towards the door. When he clawed at the man’s flesh, his grip only became tighter until the boy’s bones creaked and threatened to break under the force.

“Back away, boy.” the woman commanded.

Tio acted as though he didn’t hear her, slipping between soldiers and reaching an arm out towards his brother. He only managed to graze the outreached fingertips of his twin before they were pulled back apart. The woman sighed, rubbing her temples before making a hand motion at the other soldiers, turning away to leave the farmhouse.

As he was being dragged away, Dime watched a soldier withdraw his sword and slash open his brother’s chest. The smaller boy fell to the floor and choked on a cry. Blood splattered across the wood and pooled around Tio’s unmoving body. Their mother cried out but their father held her back, looking at Dime with disdain as the door was slammed shut.

Dime’s eyes were wide, and his blood curdling screech sounded in the cold night. He kicked and punched at the soldier who had hefted him over his shoulder, but he only succeeded in hurting his bare hands and feet on the metal armor. Another soldier approached with a rope. Dime kicked out at them and continued screaming and thrashing as a few of them worked together to tie his hands behind his back.

He was still struggling when they tied a blindfold over his eyes. Without his vision, he couldn’t help but see his brother’s lifeless body behind his eyelids. His heart ached and his blood boiled as tears soaked into the fabric covering his face.

Another soldier picked him up and dropped him on a hard surface. Seconds later, he was jolted into a wall and the sound of horses moving across the dirt path. Dime sobbed, struggling against his binds and trying to push the blindfold away to no avail, until he finally passed out from exhaustion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you have any questions or comments you can find me as Toadcakes on tumblr. Shoot me a message anytime!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More warnings for this chapter along with prob the rest of them, so be careful. idk if I said this before but if you couldn't tell based on how Dimentio ends up, this isn't a happy story. And sorry it took a bit to get up, I'm hoping to work the other chapters out faster, but the new semester just started so idk if I'll be able to keep to my word. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Dime awoke screaming in a cold sweat. Nightmares flooded his mind and the inability to see stopped him from scrubbing the images from his mind. His father’s eyes glared down at Tio’s mutilated body. Dime was holding the bloodied sword and his skin felt vaguely sticky. He struggled desperately to get the fabric away from his eyes but again, he was unsuccessful. He cried out for someone to help him but his screams seemed to go unheard. When his voice became hoarse and his throat hurt from shouting so long, he sobbed. There was nothing else to do. 

Then he was jolted again as the horses came to a stop. The creaking of a metal door met his ears and he was grabbed and pulled out of the cage he had been left in. Whoever had pulled on him had no patience for Dime to regain his balance and let the boy fall onto the gravel below them.

“Up, boy.” A man called out, but with his hands behind his back and his eyes covered, he couldn’t maneuver his way back onto his feet. A hand grabbed him and forced him back up. 

“Don’t gotta be a douche.” the person who held Dime snapped. “He’s just a kid.” 

“The brat’s been screaming all day. Getting on Naire’s nerves.” 

“If Naire wanted, she could shut him up herself.” there was a brief silence before the one holding him hummed softly, fiddling with the blindfold. The bright light of the day hurt his eyes. When he finally adjusted, his surroundings were completely unfamiliar. A clear stream ran down the side of the gravel road and a town was just a few feet away from where they were stopped. He turned and saw that the cage he was in a metal box with just a couple small holes to let in air. It was connected to a wooden carriage and pulled by a few horses. Nearby, a few more horses drank from the stream.

The knight nearest to him pulled him along towards the stream and refilled her waterskin before putting it to his lips. “Drink up.”

He gulped greedily at the fresh water, not realizing how dehydrated he had become until he took his first sip. When he stopped drinking, she refilled the container again. She pulled out a bread roll and tore pieces off of it that she fed to him.

“What’s going to happen to me?” he asked hesitantly, looking up at the knight as he swallowed the last piece of the roll. 

“Dunno. His Majesty's curious about you.”

“When can I go back home?” the knight sighed and shook her head, before pulling him back towards the cage. “P-Please no, please. I want to go home!” he cried out as he was lifted back into the box. 

“Shut up already, brat.” The other knight shouted shouted, stomping in his direction. But Dime continued to cry, even with his hoarse voice. He took another step forward and slapped the boy across the face. 

“Careul.” The woman in green called out as she and the rest of the knights approached. “The King won’t appreciate his goods being damaged.”

The knights stood straight. “My apologies, Naire.” he murmured, bowing his head. ”He was-”

“I don’t care for excuses,” she pointed at Dime whose cheek had turned red and had tear tracks running down it, “You’d better hope that heals before we arrive tomorrow or the King may have your head.”

“The boy has been fed, Lady Naire.” the other knight informed and Naire nodded. 

“We’d best be going if we’re to make good time.” she said, stepping into the carriage and closing the door behind her. The knight put the blindfold back the eyes of Dime, though he struggled against it. The darkness returned to him and the door was closed, sealing him away. 

* * *

His stomach growled. Though he had been fed a roll of bread, he hadn’t had anything to eat since the evening before. The discomfort was something that kept him from falling back into a sleep as they rode over the bumpy gravel road.

The next time the door was opened, a different soldier pulled him out. When the blindfold was removed, it was still dark as night had fallen, though it seemed like the sun was beginning to rise. The soldier took him by the shoulder and turned him around to see the castle that lay before him. He was pushed and pulled along the stone paved roads closer and closer to the castle until they stood before the front gate. Naire spoke with one of the gatekeepers whose hands began to glow before he made an upward motion that lifted the gate. Once they passed through, it fell back closed behind them.

He was pulled through a courtyard with carefully tended foliage. Everything seemed too stiff and symmetrical, not a flower out of place. The next set of guards nodded when they spotted Naire, pulling the doors open for them to enter.

“Sir Isen, bring the boy to the throne room. The rest of you are dismissed.” The knights excluding Sir Isen had a chorus of “Yes ma’am”s and left down one hallway. Sir Isen held onto Dime’s shoulder and followed Naire through a different archway. Their pace wasn’t particularly fast and allowed Dime a moment to look around them. The stone floors had a fine purple rug laid over it and each window had similarly colored drapes held out of the way by golden holdbacks that curled around in like vines with inlaid gems. The walls held ornate frames with paintings of what looked like previous rulers. 

Dime stumbled when they made a sudden turn. He took a moment to regain his balance and saw two guards opening large wooden doors. Naire took a few steps into the room and Sir Isen pushed Dime along behind her. There was a large light fixture hanging from the ceiling illuminating a massive room lined with wooden chairs with soft looking cushions. Straight ahead there was a dais with a small set of steps leading up to an ornate throne which held the man who Dime could only guess was the King.

“Ah my Royal Seer. I’ve been awaiting your arrival. I take it this is the boy your pupil wrote of.” The King’s voice boomed and Dime took another moment to look him over. His clothes were elaborate and the crown atop his head glittered as the light flicked across it. Beside the King stood a man with a pair of spectacles sitting on his nose. His expression seemed entirely too amused in Dime’s opinion.

“Yes, Your Majesty. He was born to a low-potential family though it seems to even me that his pool has no end as my pupil said. I do believe he could be useful to the royal scholars.” Naire explained and Dime only glanced between the two of them, wondering what in the world they were talking about.

“If I may interrupt, My King.” the man stood beside the King spoke up. The King himself nodded, turning his head just barely to look at the man. “This child is nothing more than a joke. Something like ‘infinite potential’ is absurd for a high-born child, let alone a  _ peasant boy _ .” 

“What do you suggest, Chand?” The King asked, glancing back towards Naire and Dime.

“While I’m sure the royal scholars could benefit from examining him, his only purpose is to be laughed at. He may as well be your personal jester.”

The King barked a laugh. “Yes, your ideas never cease to amuse.” Dime watched Naire begin to nod before the King spoke again “Sir Knight, bring the boy to me.” 

Sir Isen seemed startled by the command but he complied easily, grabbing Dime’s shoulder and pushing him forwards as he had done before. When they arrived before the King, he grabbed Dime’s face, turning his head from one side to another and examining it. Then he smiled, pressing his fingertips to the boy’s forehead.

A bolt of pain shot through Dime’s skull and he cried out, trying to pull away from the King’s touch. His efforts were quickly stopped by Sir Isen who stood solid behind him. When the King finally removed his hands, Dime felt dizzy and nauseous. His head was filled with fog and his body didn’t feel like his own. When he tried to focus in on what was happening, he couldn’t quite remember what he was doing before the King.

_ He saved you, _ his thoughts told him,  _ you would be dead without his help.  _ The thought felt off but he couldn’t find in his head where it was wrong.  _ You’re only tired after being saved. Though what happened to Tio was devastating. Who would have thought your parents would do such a thing?  _ His thoughts echoed in his head and he tried to remember, but all he could come up with was the sticky feeling of blood on his skin and the sounds of soldier’s armor as they walked.

“Sir, bring the boy to see the royal scholars. And make sure he is not hurt, we wouldn’t want anything bad to happen before he has a chance to serve his proper purpose. Royal Seer, you are dismissed.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.” Sir Isen bowed briefly before taking Dime’s shoulder and leading him back down the steps and out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments/Criticism are welcomed, especially if you notice any errors. You can find me as Toadcakes on tumblr if you ever want to send me a message.


End file.
